Welcome To Baby Alcatraz
Sayle living big in Alcatraz (Picture courtesy of the Warden)
Sayle loves the bathtub. He loves being in the tub and splashing in the water. In fact, he loves the tub so much that even when he isn’t taking a bath, he crawls into the bathroom and pulls up on the side of the tub to bang on it. Then he leans into the tub to the point where his little feet aren’t touching the tile floor anymore. We now keep the bathroom door shut.
Sayle has recently figured out how to open the cabinet doors and slam them shut. It is really a fun game, much more fun than simply pulling up on the side of the cabinets or banging his hands on the cabinet like he did when he was “younger”. One afternoon, I looked down and Sayle had the can of Pledge out. This was the last time he had the opportunity to get in the cabinets.
My mother-in-law and I were in the kitchen getting ready to cook diner. My husband and father-in-law had just come down from the man room with Sayle. We had a quick exchange of words regarding dinner and then my mother-in-law says “where is Sayle?” My husband had JUST put him on the floor; how could he have escaped the supervision of four adults in a matter of seconds? We all scattered in different directions in the house to find Sayle. My husband found him at the top of the stairs banging on the baby gate. This was the last time we allowed a pocket door to serve as a baby gate as pocket doors don’t always completely close.
My house is now Baby Alcatraz and I am the Warden. Sayle is so quick, has no fear, and his curiosity knows no bounds therefore, we live in lock-down land. Doors to rooms closed, gates are up, and cabinets are locked at all times! This lock-down not only affect my husband and myself, but also my poor dogs. They can’t even use their dog door at their leisure any longer as Sayle thinks it is an escape to the outside world.
Living on Baby Alcatraz sucks but is a necessary evil. Granted, Sayle can’t get through the baby gates, but neither can I! We have one at the top of the staircase and one at the bottom (never trust a pocket door). No matter if you’re going up or down, you have to straddle a baby gate on uneven ground-that is a broken bone waiting to happen!
After opening cabinets in this house for the past five years, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve pulled open the door since having the baby locks on it and almost ripping the handle off the cabinets itself! There is no way Sayle is going to open that door if I can’t!
This is truly the beginning of my quest of saving Sayle from himself! I will break my leg and rip my cabinet doors off before I allow something to happen to him. I might as well get used to my job as the warden of Alcatraz as I am going to be living the role in some form for the next 18 years.
As a fellow warden, my child is living in toddler alcatraz. Those bars/gates are a part of our life and i think we might keep them up until she’s 10!! We also have locks on the outside of closet doors and cabinets because we have a little detective of our own. Your son will eventually break free from alcatraz and try to come break out mine!
Well hello fellow Warden!
Isn’t our job fun? I seriously feel like I’m locking and unlocking things all day. I also am waiting to break my ankle with these baby gates. Do you have any suggestions for keeping the fireplace secure? Sayle keeps crawling half way in that and looking up. We don’t even have a chimney! We also don’t have logs or anything else in the fireplace; I think it may be just a cool place to hide!
Amber and Brooke,
Do you guys like the baby gates you have? Is there any particular brand you like or dislike? Garrett and I are in the market for some baby gates.
Thanks!
Kelly
We have walk through gates – so nice! Still haven’t found cabinet locks we like though.
And we always are playing “where’s the baby/ies?” (bad I know)
Hubby built a carpeted box for around our fireplace. So far they don’t venture past that into the actual pit area, which I’m sure is just a matter of time.
Brooke,
It sounds like it will not be long until you have a baby hurdler! Emmie’s best time yet hurdling her crib is 2.2 seconds. I am looking forward to hearing what Sayle’s next talent will be and how much longer his feet will stay on the ground!
Kelly, I will get up all the information on the baby gates and let you know. We have three different kinds because our doorways are different sizes. I will be glad to tell you what I love and what I hate so you don’t make the same mistakes we did.
Julie, we have two walk through gates and one gate that wants me to break my ankle-I agree the walk through are the best.
Ann, since you have said this I’m sure crib hurdling is in my future. We already have it at the lowest setting and I can see the wheels turning.